Trekking
has always been our first love and will continue to be our true passion. But it
was time that we moved out of our comfort zone and explored new horizons. Wild
life tourism was an appealing venture and we wasted no time in chopping out an
ideal plan for the same. Bandhavgarh
Wild Life Sanctuary from 26th-30th
May was soon finalized. The preparations had already begun way back in
February- booking railway rickets, hotel rooms, safaris, money collections etc.
We even held a pre tour meeting on 20th
May to give a brief account of the tour schedule. We all were pretty much
excited as it was going to be first outing for HYBRID outside Maharashtra. Unfortunately, one of our organizing members
(Suyog Lohar) had to miss the tour
at the very last moment. And finally the D Day arrived that we had been waiting
for.
All the members
gathered at CST station to board Garib
Rath for Jabalpur. The train journey was a smooth one with many new people
introducing themselves to one another. A long train journey was followed by a
bus ride from Jabalpur to Patour village.
After a 4 hour long bus journey, a welcome drink at the Green Woods Resort was indeed eye pleasing for the travelers. A
light breakfast and after a delayed lunch, we all were geared up to board the
gypsies for our first safari. For us as organizers, the sight of 11 gypsies
lined one after the other near the helipad area was a moment to cherish. But
unfortunately by the end of the safari the excitement had completely died down.
To our bad luck we couldn’t have a satisfactory sighting. But hopes were not
lost. We still had 2 more safaris to go the next day and we were quite
confident of seeing tiger then. After dinner, an exciting game of housie
cheered one n all and summed up the day for us.
A bright new day and
with all the prayers we boarded the early morning gypsies in search of the ‘Chosen One’. An owl just outside the
resort greeted all of us. We entered the Tala
Zone first where chances of sighting were more probable. Bandhavgarh is indeed a photographer’s
delight. On one hand you have a conference of deer’s going on, sambars giving
their distinct calls and on other you see peacock dancing rhythmically to their
tune and families of langoors waiting like celebrities to be captured. Even
birding was awesome- seeing rollers, kingfishers, doves fly around. You really
feel blessed to have something like this in your own country and that you are
getting a chance to experience it.
And finally that moment
came when one of our gypsies got a golden opportunity to capture the Prince in
his own backyard. They even made a video recording of it. Indeed these guys
must have had some luck potion in the morning before leaving. The news
regarding sighting spread to others in the mid tea break and the gypsies
entering that zone got very much excited. But destiny had others things on
mind. We all returned back to the resort with mixed feelings only to get
freshened up and be ready for that final opportunity.
It was the last chance
for those who were not lucky enough on previous two occasions. We again clicked
a group pic of all the gypsies before leaving and prayed last time for a successful
sighting. Temperatures would get very hot by afternoon and the dust would make
matters worst. A scarf became a necessary requirement for all. By this time we
learnt that when on safari you really need to have lots of patience and all
your luck charms with you. The deers had become as common as street dogs and we
wanted nothing less than a tiger. Some even vowed not to click a picture if
they don’t spot a tiger. However the third safari turned out to be lucky for
most of us. Some even spotted 2-3 tigers together. A deer fight was also seen
by one of the safari. With this the core part of the tour had come to an end.
But there was more to come.
For those who were
disappointed of not sighting even once, a surprise was in store. A tribal dance
performance of the localites was arranged for everyone, and how could we just
sit idle and not shake our legs to their rhythm. All of us had a ball matching to
their steps and even adding our own in between. It was a time to relax. After
the tasty dinner, we again played few games designed specially for the couples
and small children on board. That night some guys even went ahead and played
pranks by dressing up as ghosts. There was fun in that too.
The next morning we all packed our bags and
set out for Jabalpur, leaving behind all the fond memories of Bandhavgarh. The
return bus journey got a bit tiresome thanks to the dry heat and extreme
temperatures. But the heavenly satisfying lunch at Panchavati restaurant brought back smiles on everyone’s face and
cheered them up for Bhedaghat. Boating in Bhedaghat
was again a different experience altogether. Admiring nature’s beauty along
with the poetry skills and anecdotes of the sailor really made the ride a
joyful one. Dhuandhaar waterfall was
our next destination and it was as beautiful as Bhedaghat. We again proceeded
towards Panchavati for dinner and reached Jabalpur station well in time to
board the train for return journey. Unfortunately the train got delayed and the
conditions didn’t get any better from here on. Still we tried our level best to
maintain the same comfort level for all the travelers.
Here, on behalf of HYBRID TREKKERS, we would like to first
apologize for all the inconveniences and at the same time thank you for the kind
of co-operation shown by one n all. We hope you enjoyed the time spent with us
as much we did while organizing this tour. Your support and encouragement will
be of immense importance for us in the future. Also we would like to thank Parle Travels for advance booking of rail
tickets, Rehman Sir for the hotel
and safari arrangements. And last but not the least Amin Sir and his dedicated team for the adorable hospitality and
friendly gesture shown to us. It was really a nice and healthy interaction with
you sir.
With Bandhavgarh, HYBRID has gone one step ahead in
spreading its wings. There is no looking back now. Monsoon awaits us and so do
our trekkers. Treks are on our agenda now. Be ready for the same.
